Remember that time former pro snowboarder Trevor Jacob posted a video in which he ditched his airplane by jumping out with a parachute and let the plane crash somewhere in the Los Padres National Forest near Lompoc, California? Remember how aviation experts called bullshit on his needing to ditch the plane that glides so well? Apparently, the United States Attorney’s Office of Central District of California never forgot. They stayed after him and now Trevor has decided to plead guilty (click the link to read it) to the “intent to obstruct a federal investigation, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1519,” according to a story on Court House News.
A felony count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Obviously, he would not agree to enter a plea if he was going to get the maximum sentence, so hopefully he’ll get out from under this with a minimum of prison time. He’s asked for less than two years, so we will see. Neither Jacob nor the government commented on the case.
Through a new partnership Street League Skateboarding is streaming its content on Rumble, video home of pretty much every single right-wing nut job on the internet, according to a story in The Guardian.
“We are excited to partner with a growing platform like Rumble to create one truly global destination for action sports fans,” Thrill One CEO Joe Carr said in a March press release. “Our athletes have over 100 million social followers worldwide and that community will finally have the opportunity to watch every NRX and SLS event, live and free, for the first time.”
SLS will likely be right at home with Russell Brand, and fans of a certain former head of state. Ah, marketing!
There are many ways to monetize your fame. One of them is public speaking. One of the saddest is speaking to a room full of sweaty-assed, drunk men in logo’d polo shirts. And if there is anything worse than that, it is being the keynote speaker for an automobile glass sellers convention. No doubt, Auto Glass Week is excited to have noted Hollywood star-dater Shaun White speak. But what is Auto Glass Week you ask? Here, let them explain:
Auto Glass Week 2023 will showcase advancements and innovations in the OE and aftermarket auto glass repair, replacement and calibration industry and forge new professional connections. With new products launches, an expanding market, customers in high demand and an overflow of creativity, the potential in this industry is unmatched.
Exciting, no? Obviously, Shaun White is not afraid to speak to whomever is paying him. Let’s just hope they’re paying him six digits.
It’s been a while, but it seems skateboard towing deaths will never go away. The family of Liam McGuire, a 16-year-old skateboarder from Manlius, New York, won’t be the same after he hung on to the side of his best friend’s car and fell, hitting his head. He died four days later on Saturday, April 29, 2023.
Liam touched many people. Family and friends gathered Sunday at a vigil in the neighborhood to share stories about him. That’s where one woman shared how Liam spent hours teaching her to snowboard. . . Liam’s best friend was driving the car that Liam was holding on to when he fell. Liam’s family said the friend and his family stopped by the hospital several times.
Horrible reminder that skateboard towing rarely ends well. Don’t do it.
A little reminder that in any tropical paradise there are many more pieces in play than anyone could possibly imagine, from Vanity Fair.
Five years ago, Ratu “Jona” Joseva, a 32-year-old Indigenous Fijian boat taximan, and two Aussie lifelong surfing bros, Navrin Fox and Woody Jack, bought an overgrown five-acre patch of coastline on Malolo, among the most popular of Fiji’s more than 330 islands. With its crescent beaches, Seussian palms, and proximity to the international airport, the roadless three-mile-long island has become a post-lockdown playground for billionaire yachties and privacy-seeking celebs.
What could possibly go wrong? Click the link for the rest of the horrifyingly complex story.
If you’re depending on a Black Diamond Recon LT avalanche transceiver to save your life when you get buried on your next backcountry trip, you might want to update the firmware immediately. Apparently, they can, on occasion, NOT WORK AT ALL.
The recalled transceivers can unexpectedly enter search mode due to interference from other beacons. If this occurs, the device could fail to transmit the position of survivors of an avalanche, resulting in delayed search and rescue operations, which could result in severe bodily harm or death if the skier is buried under snow.
So, don’t use it. Update the firmware, and then pray that the new firmware works better than the last. Side note: this doesn’t appear to be anything new for Black Diamond. They appear to have avalanche beacon recalls every year.
Skateboarder and artist Ed Templeton has a new career encompassing show (and book) featured in the Bonnefanten Museum in the Netherlands this summer. Fans of his work will not want to miss it.
Skateboarding, as seen through Ed Templeton’s photographs, has a life beyond the ramps. Yes, his high-impact images convey the spirit and kineticism of the sport, but so too has the photographer trained his lens on skateboarders behind the scenes and during their off-hours to preserve often raw and intimate moments. . . . “It’s essentially a lifetime of work,” he added of Wires Crossed. “I’ve done a lot of other books before this one with my photography, but this is what started it all for me—what made me want to get into photography in the first place.”
The Wires Crossed show runs in the Bonnefanten Museum, Avenue Ceramique 250, Maastricht, Netherlands, through September 17, 2023. Probably worth a trip just to see it.
We have a love hate with Dawn Patrol for the Apple Watch. When it works, it’s fun to see how many waves we got, how fast slowly we surfed and save it to analyze later. When it doesn’t work, however, it can be just enough of a tech annoyance to ruin an otherwise good session. That’s why we’re hoping that the newest update (version 5.0) of their surf tracking app will tip the balance in the right direction.
We have made some sleek design changes, increased overall performance, and added more intuitive user interfaces. . . We have enhanced the interface of the surf map. Your surf metrics are laid out in a clean and efficient way to read. . . Get to know how efficient your paddle is, allowing you to measure your strength and ultimately catch more waves. . . Our renewed tidal chart shows the current water level height and spot name. . . Get to know your spot better and learn at which tides you are catching your best waves.
One thing is for sure–Dawn Patrol is the best way to put a tide chart on the face of your Apple Watch. And it’s all worth it just for that. For all the details, please click the link.
What do you do with an athlete, when they stop being an athlete? Especially if they’ve had serious injuries to body and brain? Former olympic snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler is helping others answer those questions, while dealing with many questions of her own in this profile in The Aspen Times.
“It’s such a sad end-of-life story. These athletes who we were all so inspired by, who made the impossible possible, their mental and physical health can be so deteriorated and debilitating. Their life can become tragic. It should never be like this,” said Bleiler. . . “No one knows how to treat CTE. So many people are not talking about what they are going through. It’s shameful and isolating by yourself. And there’s delayed changes, many times years later. It’s confusing, what is happening to my personality, why is this happening, am I going crazy?” . . . To rebuild the pillars in her life, Bleiler began that deeper journey she had ultimately been craving. She had already received her mediation certification in 2014 through the Chopra Center. She was ready for more.
It’s great to hear that she’s getting things all sorted. For the rest of her mid-life story, please click the link.
Tony Hawk has a new watch sponsor and it’s Citizen, according to a story on Fast Company. It’s a smart watch, something Nixon never seemed interested in.
Hawk will be the face of Citizen’s second-generation CZ smartwatch, which was paraded out in Las Vegas at CES in January and is powered by research from NASA and artificial intelligence built with IBM Watson.
Space watch for the future that looks just like a watch. Nice work.
If you’re depending on a 
